Kishore Biyani conferred ''international retailer of the year'' award
18 January 2007
New Delhi: Apex US retail body, National Retail Federation (NRF), has conferred ''international retailer of the year award'' on Kishore Biyani, managing director, Pantaloon Retail India Ltd.
The
award was presented to Biyani at NRF''s 96th annual convention
and expo on 16 January in New York.
NRF is the world''s largest retail trade association with
a membership that comprises all retail formats and channels
of distribution and its award is traditionally given to
companies that achieve an international reputation for
creative genius, inspirational leadership and distinguished
service to the retail industry.
Previous
recipients of this award are Metro AG (Germany), Carrefour
(France), Ito Tokada Group (Japan), Zara (Spain) and Boticario
(Brazil).
Accepting the award Biyani said, "It would have been
more appropriate if we had got the award after global
retailers have stepped into India. We are in a no-competition
scenario currently but we excel in what we do to delight
our Indian consumers."
Biyani
also said, "We can take a person out of India but
not India out of a person. We have a deep understanding
of Indian consumers and we offer everything they need
every time, everywhere through every format of retailing".
According to Farooq Kathwari, chairman, NRF, "Pantaloon
Retail India Ltd is the unanimous choice of the jury for
the International Retailer of the Year Award this year.
We applaud the impressive growth of the organisation whose
turnover is poised to become $6 billion by 2010".
The other awardees were Reed Hastings, founder chairman
and CEO
of Netflix, who received NRF''s innovator of the year award
and Millard Drexler, chairman and CEO, J Crew Group, Inc,
who received NRF''s gold medal for retailing excellence.